DeMar DeRozan shoots career-high as Raptors get back on track against Mavericks

TORONTO — A few years before breaking the 40-point barrier for the first time in his career on Wednesday night, DeMar DeRozan was a rookie in the NBA. In those early stages of his career, he was desperately searching for a sense of belonging in the league.

The 2009-10 Raptors had designs on a playoff spot, and playing DeRozan in the fourth quarter was often the wrong move if the ultimate goal was to win games. With Chris Bosh heading toward free agency, that was the goal. Yet, sometimes coach Jay Triano would keep him out there, looking to give him some valuable experience.

Not surprisingly, DeRozan empathized with Jonas Valanciunas’s plight this season. Valanciunas is in his sophomore season, sure, but the situation is kind of the same: He has veterans playing behind him who are currently more productive. Yet, it is beneficial for the Raptors’ long-term growth to give Valanciunas those chances. With 6:41 left in what turned out to be a 93-85 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Dwane Casey put Valanciunas back in the game.

“It means a lot. Me being in that same situation, it’s just understanding that they got trust in you. You’re understanding that things are probably not going your way. It just shows the trust factor,” DeRozan said after his scoring barrage keyed his team’s victory. “You have to take advantage of that. Once the coach shows he trusts you, you have to go out there and try to do something. Sometimes it’s not about scoring. It’s about rebounding. Playing defence. It means a lot.”

Related

It seems funny saying it after DeRozan’s huge night, but Valanciunas’s final spurt might have been the most important development for the Raptors on Wednesday. He was part of yet another bad start — the Raptors trailed by 19 points after the first quarter. In the previous two games, the Lakers’ Pau Gasol and the Bobcats’ Al Jefferson schooled the second-year player, causing Casey to sit him in the fourth quarter.

Yet, against the Mavericks, Casey took out the thoroughly commendable Chuck Hayes, and made a forward-minded decision. When Valanciunas checked into the game, the Raptors trailed 80-77. The Mavericks scored just a one field goal the rest of the way, as the Raptors won those final minutes 16-5.

Yet, it was not the future that made Casey opt for Valanciunas. It was a more practical concern.

“One thing that was concerning us was [Samuel] Dalembert and also [Brandan] Wright’s length, with Chuck and also Pat [Patterson]. Jonas did a good job on the boards,” Casey said. “That was the main thing he was in there for. He got a couple of offensive rebounds. The game was quick for him when they went small in the first quarter. Our [defensive] rotations were slow, or non-existent, so to speak. We had to do something there. He came back in the second half.”

It all would have been useless without DeRozan. The swingman put on a sensational offensive performance, scoring a career-high 40 points. He was the only Raptor reliably putting the ball in the basket early on, and his reverse layup after a spin move in the fourth quarter will make many highlight reels. The Raptors needed it, as point guard Kyle Lowry was suffering from a stomach virus and did not manage a single field goal.

DeRozan became just the seventh Raptor to exceed 40 points. He laughingly said he had never heard of one of those players, centre Acie Earl. Another one of those prolific scorers, Vince Carter, dunked on DeRozan earlier in the game.

“He said he didn’t know it was me,” DeRozan said of Carter’s reaction after the dunk. “If he knew it was me, he would have tried to lay it up. But he got me. I was upset with that a little bit. He got me.”